Tenchi Muyo: Lover's Death
by Geor-sama
Summary: A sad Tenchi fic, one of my firsts, it's been cleaned up and mistakes corrected.


Lover's death   
By Geor-Sama   
  
  
It had been three years since she had left, three years since his angel had disappeared. He had spent a year traversing space looking for her; he searched world after world and never found her. Even now as he sat on the roof looking up at the night sky, he felt the pain.   
  
Pain for having lost her, he loved her and he had never got the chance to tell her. He had spent so much time looking for her, he still went to her favorite places: the cherry blossom trees, the roof, the lake, and some times he slept on her beam. He had longed for a normal, regular life without space women in love with him and now that he had it he didn't want it. He would give it up for the slightest chance to see her face, to hear her laugh, to hear her talk, to have her watch him at night, to have her glomp on to him in the mornings.   
  
Shortly after he returned the others, one by one, left all but one. Washu was the last to leave, she waited a year after he returned. Despite what they said they hardly ever visited. Mihoshi's visits were rare, and they brought nobody joy because she had changed.   
  
Sasami had stayed for a while, but eventually she to had left, she had been forced to. And he missed her, she had been his closet friend after his angel had left. She'd been so helpful, so understanding and supporting. But with Aekea determined to stay here on earth with him, she was forced to return.   
  
It was Aekea's staying that hurt Tenchi more than the others leaving, the only thing that hurt worse was his feeling of emptiness. He knew that Aekea loved him with everything she had, and he knew how much it had to hurt her that he didn't feel the same. It was obvious after she had wrangled him into going on a date, they had even kissed. The kiss for her part was filled with love and devotion, but he didn't feel that for her, instead the kiss he gave back was brotherly if anything. All the pain he had caused her, and she still stayed, still cared for him.   
  
He sighed and looked up at the stars from his inclined position on the roof. He tightened his grip on Tenchi-ken and closed his eyes, a hissing sound filled the air as the blue blade ignited. How many times had he came here, he wondered, to do this very act'   
  
This time however he was by far to intent on ending the pain and the suffering. He would use this accursed sword, the thing that started everything. It had indirectly freed his angel and now it would free him from the pain that had grown to great for him to bear.   
  
***   
  
Aekea laid on her futon staring up at her now very familiar ceiling, her mind roaming. She could remember how at first she had been glad, even a thrilled that the beastly woman was gone. She felt a little guilty now, she had not called her a name out of respect for Tenchi's feelings and because despite of everything she had been a friend.   
  
Aekea would have never believed you if you had told her when she first arrived that she would miss the woman when she left, that she would love her like a sister. Especially since she knew now where her beloved love lay. It dawned on her when she had finally managed a date with her beloved.   
  
She had enjoyed herself, it was what she had always dreamt off and after those long years of waiting it was everything she had thought it would be. But even then part of her felt wrong because she knew that he hadn't enjoyed himself. But even that hadn't stopped her from forcing him into a kiss, she had poured all of her feelings into that kiss, but when he returned it was merely one of brotherly love.   
  
She knew where he was, he always went up there on this day, always with his sword in hand. She didn't expect to see him again, not because he would kill himself but because she would kill herself as well. She had stopped his earlier attempts, had been his safety. She owed it to him, he had stopped her single attempt, but tonight nobody would stop either of them.   
  
She loved him, even though she knew that he only loved her like a sister, it hurt her but she swallowed the pain continuously. The pain was unbearable and knew of only one way to end it. As she laid the ceremonial dagger on her chest and closed her eyes, she realized that his intervention had been a simple stay of death.   
  
She took a deep breath she would take her life the only way a princess of Jurai could. She concentrated her power and levitated it over her chest till it was high enough to touch the ceiling. It hovered there as she drifted off to sleep. It would plunge down into her and end her pain once she was deep enough in her sleep.   
  
***   
  
Mihoshi was once a happy go lucky blonde in the Galaxy Police, but now she was constantly depressed. Haggard now due to the sadness that filled her.   
  
She watched the beeping control panel detachedly, guiding her ship through the familiar space that lead to earth. She would go back, but instead of being happy without any worries like before, she would be going back for something very important would be happening today. It had been an important day to Tenchi so it was important to her. But at the back of her mind there was something nagging at her, telling her she would not see him again.   
  
She increased the speed of her engines, the nagging urging her to hurry on for some reason. Usually the thought of returning to the Earth made her feel better but this time it didn't this time it filled her with dread, something bad was going to happen there.   
  
With a heavy feeling in her chest she reached over and picked up her control cube, that she had spent years trying to figure out how to get coffee. She twisted it and turned it concentrating on it completely, thanks to Washu she no longer had to control her ships landing on Earth. The scientist had gotten tried of fixing it every time she landed, so she had programmed in an auto landing for her.   
  
The ship entered Earths atmosphere sooner than even Mihoshi would have expected, it descended and glided over the all to familiar Masaki Shrine. Mihoshi looked up, feeling the ship slowing and blinked twisting the cube one last time causing the long sought coffee to appear.   
  
The Galaxy Police woman blinked looking down at it, surprised and for one minute she was her old self. She took the coffee and started drinking it as the ship finished landing no more than five feet from the shrine at the hidden landing site.   
  
***   
  
Machines that were once alive with all kinds of data sat silently in the darkened lab. No computer screen flashed with massive amounts of data and in the middle of the dead lab, sitting quietly among the dead machines, was a young red haired girl. She was as unmoving as the machines that surrounded her. She had once been known as the most brilliant genius in the universe, she still was, but now, now she had turned inwards upon herself.   
  
Two years after leaving the house, a year after he had returned, when she retread the final time into her lab all she could do was think about the past and feelings. She felt pain for herself, because she lost her daughter again, she felt pain for him because he lost the one he love the most, but only because he had never built up the courage to tell her.. Not that she could really blame him after all, at the time he had five women in love with him each of whom could level him and the world.   
  
When she first disappeared Washu had tired to reach her through their mental link, but found nothing, even the link with her daughters ship was blank. She was mainly angry and upset for her daughter, she had left the man she loved, had caused him pain. No matter what that was inexcusable.   
  
Her mind for a long time had thought about why her daughter would leave like she did, but all she could come up with was love. It was the driving factor for everything in their lives, it caused her to feel pain at the academy, it had lea her to giving 'birth' to Ryoko. It was what caused her daughter to act strangely around Tenchi. And love was the reason she had lost her daughter again. Love had been the cause of so much of her pain, and so of her much joy.   
  
For the first time in a long time Washu sighed, turning outwards once more. She rose quietly, a door forming next to her. She slid it open and stepped through to the one place that she had to go, a place where something was tugging at her soul. It was something important as well as terrible, and it would happen tonight.   
  
When she stepped through the door it closed behind her, closing her lab off, before her was the familiar Misaki Shrine. She shuddered slight, as she caught sight of the all to familiar sight of Mihoshi.   
  
***   
  
Nobuyuki leaned back in his seat on the bus, he had stayed late today because he knew that today he was going to lose his son. He was a certain of this as he was of his name. His son was suffering a pain he knew all to well. He had suffered the same pain when he'd lost Kiyone and he had chosen the same way to end it. but The only reason he hadn't was because he knew his son need him, he owed it to his son to try and live.   
  
He knew that his son had tired before but had been stopped by Aekea or the thought of what it would do to his family. Nobuyuki also knew this had grown to the point that it no longer meant anything to him.   
  
It was more emotionally draining on his son since he had never got to tell her he loved her. He had never got the chance to build happy memories to fight the pain he was feeling. Nobuyuki knew that his sons only real memories were of him being a jerk to the one he loved.   
  
The bus came to a stop and he rose, forcing down a sigh. He made his way down the aisle and exited the bus. He walked away a bit and then stopped, looking up at the clear night sky where the stars twinkled high over head. Tonight would be a good night for what his son was going to do, it was the same ones Ryoko had always watched.   
  
The same stars that had borne silent witness to her departure all those years ago would now bear a silent and private ending to his sons life and pain.   
  
***   
  
Deep in space, beyond the free space of the Galactic Union, amidst the stunning nebulas sat the majestic Jurai, the most powerful empire in the universe. It was watched over by the goddess Tsunami, not form astral realm but from the throne itself. The assimilation with Sasami had been completed shortly after her return to Jurai. Her beautiful held a frown and her pink eyes were hard. She was only the queen of Jurai because her sister had vowed to stay on Earth. Thus this was why, despite her regal robes, and a palace that dwarfed any on earth in it's beauty and size, Sasami now the Crowned Queen of Jurai, brewed not about royal matters.   
  
She came to the decision that she hated her sister. Maybe she loved her a little still, but she had been forced to assume the throne against her wishes. her sister had ignored the fact that she was merging with a goddess, they all did, all save for Tenchi. He had been concerned about her, had even tried to comfort her.   
  
She decided that she still loved him, for he had been suffering a worse fate than she was, but while she loved Tenchi she hated Ryoko, her adopted sister. hated her for leaving and sending the whole family into a tailspin.   
  
And she hated Washu for leaving and Mihoshi for returning infrequently. She hated Tsunami for forcing her to merge, she hated Katsuhito for shirking his responsibilities and forcing Aekea off on his grandson.   
  
Most of all Sasami hated herself for becoming like this, for becoming this creature that hated everything in her past, even the one she loved she hated. Yet she still protected Jurai; allowed him even more power for his wings from Tsunami and kept her family safe.   
  
Sasami had one thing that weighed heavily on her, tonight would be the end. But she could not return, being merged with a goddess had its drawbacks and knowing to much was one of them.   
  
***   
  
Katsuhito, slayer of demons, Prince of Jurai, grandfather to the boy who could create the Light Hawk Wings, Shine Master of the Masaki Shine and right now the focal point of three people. He looked to his left and saw Washu approaching a distant look in her eyes. He looked to his right and saw Mihoshi, her appearance and bearing seemed out of place. And approaching from the ancient weather worn stairs his Son in law Nobuyuki. He sighed, they were coming to him because they could feel that tonight was to be a different type of anniversary of this terrible day. He knew that tonight his grandson would end his pain.   
  
He had never meant to stay here after fighting Ryoko, yet he had, because his responsibilities as the crowned prince of Jurai scared him and because he found love. He loved Aekea, but it was the same way Tenchi loved her and that was yet another reason he stayed. He was as much an emotional coward as his grandson had ever been. Katsuhito knew they needed to start the procession to the house.   
  
He knew that his grandson was going to kill himself but something was nagging at him, telling him something even more terrible was going to happen. He forced that feeling aside, sighing. He had tried on several occasions after his grandson's return to convince him that he would love again, but he had received several harsh, but not unwarranted words.   
  
He knew that his grandson had loved that woman more than life itself and nothing would ever change that. It wasn't until his grandson had stormed off, saying that he would not train ever again that Katsuhito understood something that had eluded all of them.   
  
When it became apparent that he did love her it was assumed it was light kind of love by them, but at that moment he realized that it was the rarest kind, it was true love. The kind of love that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth after you lose it, it sours one to other girls.   
  
What really made it amazing to Katsuhito was that it had struck three times in succession, him with his wife, Nobuyuki with Kiyone and Tenchi with Ryoko. Katsuhito shook his head and started forward, leading the procession towards the house.   
  
He felt the prickle of his hair on the back of his neck and stopped looking up and his heart grew cold. High over head blocking out the stars was a crystalline ship, that came to a rest beyond the trees on the grass. Suddenly the feeling that he had earlier fell into place and it chilled him to the bone.   
  
The others in the procession stopped, none of them breaking the silence. The silence was a death like one; Ryoko had returned.   
  
***   
  
Ryoko silently guided the ship to a gentle landing next to the house. She wasn't entirely sure why she had returned but something deep with end her told her she had to. A terrible feeling was welling up in her stomach. She teleported off of the bridge and landed gracefully on her feet. She felt Ryo-ohki land on her shoulder and nuzzle her neck before hopping off to go back to the family they saw coming in.   
  
Ryoko didn't react, she just stood there looking at the dark house, that dark feeling getting stronger. She took a step forward and faded out and reappeared in the living room, she knew this was the night she left and she felt everything worse than ever. The longing, the pain of not having him, the love. It was the love that drove her to leave, that drove her to do a lot of things.   
  
She started walking thinking as she did, she knew he had wanted a normal life and so she had done her best to give it to him. It had hurt her more than anything the bastard Kagato could ever do to her; it was pure torture, but she had done it out of love.   
  
Ryoko paused as her skin prickled from something in the air, something she had dimly forgotten the feeling of Juraian energy and it was in a rather high quantity. Ryoko's curiosity got the better of her and she immediately phased into the hallway standing before the first of the only two rooms that could produce that energy.   
  
She gulped, it was Aekea's room, she suddenly remembered that she had left him here alone with Aekea. What if he was with her' She took a breath and sighed steeling herself, she would deal with the consequences of her actions if they were. She would just disappear and never bother them.   
  
With her mind made up she phased through the door into the princess room. She raised an eyebrow at the sight before her. Inches from Aekeas chest hung dagger and from the princess breathing she could tell she was asleep.   
  
Instinct took over almost instantly and Ryoko moved like lightening knocking the dagger away so that it embedded itself in the wall to the hilt. With the danger passed she felt confusion take its place, Aekea had just tried to kill herself. Why' How' She knelt beside the princess and gentle placed her hand on her shoulder.   
  
Aekea opened her eyes, clouded though they were with sleep they focused on her and the princess smiled weakly at the space pirate and then they closed again. Ryoko stood after smiling back, the princess needed her rest. Without thinking she phased out of the room to stand before Tenchi's door.   
  
She stood before his door, a cold chill passing over her. She couldn't feel any Juraian energy from beyond the door. She lifted a shaky hand and knocked on his door and waited. She didn't knock again when she didn't hear any movements and she just teleported into the room. It was empty and dark, the bed didn't look slept in. The desk was covered with nothing but homework.   
  
Sighing she lifted off of the floor and passed through the ceiling, heading for the roof to think and figure out where he was and why Aekea had tried to kill herself tonight. When she came to a stop on the roof she felt it, his Juraian power but she could also smell his scent. Her eyes grew wide as she flew towards him at a break neck speed.   
  
She came to stop with a jerk , and fell to her knees seeing his form, Tenchi-ken falling from his hand and die. She reached out, her hands trembling and touched his chest, his blood was warm she grabbed him and pulled his body into her lap and began to cry, tears flowing freely for the first time in centuries.   
  
She rocked back and forth cradling him in her arms, crying feeling the warmth leave his body. She lowered her bowed head and kissed his cheek , her golden cat-like eyes shining with more pain than she would have been able to be imagine, closed tightly resting her head against his forehead shaking with her sobs.   
  
Her eyes shot open, when she felt his hand reach up and hold her arm. She blinked her tears away, looking down at him, he was slipping away, by all rights he should be dead by now she knew. His face was deathly pale but it was his eyes that caught her attention, there was something in them that she had never seen there before. Love.   
  
He gave her a very weak smile she smiled back as her tears began to flow even harder. He moved his hand, he seemed as weak as a kitten as he stroked her cheek. He tired to laugh, his pain over his angel having come to take him to what lay beyond. He knew that he didn't have long so he had to tell her now before it was too late, he wouldn't have another chance.   
  
Ryoko barely heard him speak his voice was so weak, with his one sentence he caused her to cry harder than ever "My Ryoko I love you."   
  
Slowly he closed his eyes, the last thing he ever heard was Ryoko's whispered replay. "I love you to my Tenchi."   
  
Ryoko shook with the force of her tears and she clutched him all the harder to herself his blood smearing over her clothes. The most important thing in the universe had just been taken from her, and it was her fault. But he had told her the one thing that she had thought she would never hear him say, I love you.   
  
She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, then his cheeks and finally his lips. When she broke the kiss she threw her head back and screamed , it filled the air with her pain and grieve. It seemed to shake the world, the very universe. It seemed to go on forever without end; till finally the reverberations of it echoed and fell to the wayside.   
  
By the time Katsuhito reached the roof she was sobbing quietly, saying his name over and over again in a quiet distant voice. Ryoko looked up from Tenchi'sface to look at him, he stood there quietly for a moment for the first time in a long time seemingly not knowing what to do, and then he walked over to Ryoko. He placed his hand on her shoulder and bowed his head, it seemed to be the only thing that he could do for the poor young woman.   
  
Ryoko fought back her tears and her sob, seeming to decide that she had to say something. She looked into his eyes. She knew that he was the only one that would do this, that would understand."Please..."   
  
She seemed to choke, unable to get the sobs to subside enough to continue. Katsuhito nodded his head, understanding. He knelt next to the star-crossed lovers and retrieved Tenchi-ken. He stood once more not looking at either of them, he could hear Ryoko's renewed crying. He glanced at them and saw that she was rubbing her cheek against his . He watched for a moment longer and then without conscious thought brought Tenchi-kens blade back to life.   
  
He moved so that he stood over her, the blade held at his side. He looked down solemnly at her, she looked up at him and smiled a sad smile and in one swift moment he raised the blade over his head and brought it down whispering 'I'm sorry..' as he struck.   
  
Ryoko had bowed her head as Katsuhito brought Tenchi-ken down. There was a brief moment of pain and then she slumped forward her body giving out and laid still on top of her love.   
  
***   
  
When Tenchi opened his eyes, he found himself bathed in blinding white light. He felt compelled to move forward but he fought it. He was waiting for something, he didn't know what but he knew he was. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned finding himself eye to eye with his angel.   
  
Her cyan hair looked as beautiful as ever as it framed her face, her golden cat like eyes held a joy that it never had before. Tenchi sighed happily his angel had come with him. Ryoko smiled and he smiled back, she poked his cheek and whispered. "You can't leave me behind."   
  
Tenchi laughed a happily and shook his head "Never again my Ryoko. Never again."   
  
Ryoko smiled and gently pulled him into a kiss it was soft, sensual, and passionate: it was a lovers kiss. When they broke the kiss they both had blushes, turning back to the light Tenchi took her hand with a smile on his face he glanced back at her and then looked back towards the light and nodded towards it. "Let's go."   
  
Ryoko nodded and smiled in agreement and slowly hand in hand they moved deeper and deeper into the light until the were engulfed in the pure white light: the two lovers were finally at peace.   
  
  
  
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Author's note's:   
  
Well I was laying in bed one night and couldn't sleep, I had something to write, I just didn't know what it was, but I laid there until this came to me. I actually made myself cry while writing the ending, it was so sad and beautiful, and hopefully it made you cry or caused some stir of emotions in you.   
  
I actually went back and rewrote everything and updated a few things in this piece. (i.e. Tenchi's mother name from Achika to Kiyone, like it's listed on the official True Tenchi Novels Family tree)   
  
Disclaimer:   
I don't own any of the characters only the story idea, AIC and Pioneer own the characters, so don't sue me. 


End file.
